City of Winnipeg 2016 Budget

Oct 8, 2015

Discussions and planning for the City of Winnipeg’s 2016 budget are currently underway. With a projected budget shortfall of $73 million in 2016, it will be a very challenging budget.

It is apparent that ongoing revenues are not enough to cover expenditures, and the current City funding model is unsustainable. In the past, in order to keep City tax rates affordable through 14 years of property tax cuts/freezes (1998 to 2011), one-time revenue sources were used to balance the budget.

To better understand the situation, I encourage you to read Appendix 1 (Page 169-185) of the newly released City of Winnipeg Community Trends and Performance Report. It’s a fascinating overview of the City’s current financial situation.